Revenge of the Giants

Fight the giants and elementals as they once again make an effort to conquer the world.

Our first week on the dreaded Forst Spire

Kaseem finds the Frost Spire and guides the Percheron towards the giant shaft of ice in the Sea of Howling Souls. Lightning strikes the Forst Spire on our approach, sending chunks of mammoth ice into the waters around the Percheron, which is damaged by the deluge. Kaseem manages to steer the ship into a hollowed cavern at sea level and we enter the Frost Spire, landing at a frozen subterranean beachhead. Kaseem indicates that magic is required to fix the Percheron, suggesting the the giants must have something called the Talisman of Seven Winds they used to get to the Frost Spire. He decides to stay with the damaged ship while explore the Spire. We are, however, jumped while still on the beachhead by giants. It is a difficult for me (Keldar), as the giants attack from range and from higher ground. We learn during the fight that the giants have an earnest desire to take the Percheron or any other ship, feeling they have to slay us to get to what appears to be the only means off the Spire. They desperately want off the Spire. Somehow, we come to a truce with this group of giants (after slaying their owlbear pet). They have already killed each other, as other dead giants literally lie in heaps on the beach. These giants shall stay here while we search the Spire for a means of egress and to accomplish our other task – the part of the divine engine we seek.

We took some giant steps out of the hidden beach up onto the broad expanse of the Spire proper. The elements hurled themselves at us and made us wonder how or why anyone or anything could survive here. We began to beat a path south and traveled through the frozen gloom for hours. We figured that we were moving at about one mile per hour in the bitterly cold terrain. We encountered a small giatn outpost and made contact with its guardians. They explained that they were to watch the frozen Spire for intruders (which most certainly were) and that they were to expel them. We were able to get these guards to share information with us. We learned that this contingent of giants was under the command of Jarl Grugnursun and that they were searching for something on the Spire, but these giants did not know what.

We headed east towards a long, singular spire of ice jutting from the white landscape. We camped in the frozen hills of a mountain range, reaching a crystal clear lake the next morning, the center of which was home to the icy spire. We broke a chunk of ice from the lake’s shelf and paddled across the cold waters. We were greeted by ice archons that took us to the tower’s master, a wizardly ice archon named Zaelex. Zaelex discussed a rift between the Jarl’s three lieutenants – himself, a lout and traitor named Gorrick and a smith called Hellstaff. Zaelex indicated that Jarl Grugnursun left each of the three in charge of various aspects of their operation while he conducted secrret work elsewhere on the Spire. But a feud erupted between the three in the Jarl’s absence. He suggested that we dispatch Gorrick and Hellstaff, then Zaelex would provide us with a means to open the secret vault wherein Grugnursun no doubt held his piece of the divine engine. We agreed ad sought Gorrcik on the barren tundra of the Spire’s central plains.

We found Gorrick’s hut in a excavated ice trench surrounded my a multitude of icy statues. Gorrick was kind and explained that Zaelex, as a non-giant, sought power over the others. He also explained that the urn we had belonged to an old guardian of the Spire, Jarl Hargaad. Grugnursun’s giant army desecrated ancient giant burial sites, unearthed the bronze urns and other treasure of the giants. These actions angered the restless giant spirits and have brought misfortune to Grugnursun and his efforts. Thus, Gorrick has abandoned his support of the Jarl. He suggested that we destroy Zaelex and confiscate his urn (which he denied possessing) and his spellbook, which contained the instructions to fashioning the key to enter Grugnursun’s vault. Gorrcik also explained that we’d need to slay Hellstaff, who was still devoted to Grugnursun and would betray us to the Jarl. We took Gorrick’s word, though I feel he’ll betray us.

We returned to Zaelex’s tower to confront him. he rfused to reason with us and surrender his urn and spellbook, which he called the Tome of the Frozen Gate. He attacked us and we fought him and his minions in the tower. Sadly we had to slay him, as he fought to the death. We took possession of his Tome and the urn and made our way south in search of Hellstaff.

It took several days to find Hellstaff’s forge, called the Frost Forge. Hellstaff refused to even bargain with us, unleashing his hellhounds and zephyrs to attack us. Even he rumbled into battle against us. He controlled the winter elements and used them against us. Somehow, Jais ended up fighting the hellhounds alone, while I bounced around with the rest of the party between Hellstaff and his zephyrs. True to Gorrick’s description, Hellstaff’s forge was an odd thing of cold fire. A pit of blue and white frost-fire occupied the center of the chamber. It blazed with an impossible combination of intense heat and cold – this was no doubt the frost fire forge and one of the place where we’d need to forge the key to Grugnursun’s lair.

Our last task is to obtain a shard of elemental ice from Gorrick, which we saw in his hut. I am uncertain whether or not our dealings with Gorrick shall come to blows or not. I hope not, but he must understand we are here to protect the natural world and we need his elemental ice. We mean no harm to him.

Short Summary
Arrive at the Frost Spire and fight the giants trying to escape it and recover a bronze urn.
Meet and have a dialogue with the guards in the Plains of Ice
Meet Zaelex in his Ice Tower.
Meet Gorrick in his hut and decide to throw down Grugnursun’s other lieutenants – Zaelex and Hellstaff.
Fight and slay Zaelex, recovering the Tome and a second urn.
Fight and Slay Hellstaff and secure the frost forge.